


The Archer and the Spy: A Budapest Tale

by WolfsHonor



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Tower, BAMF Clint Barton, BAMF Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Gen, Minor Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov, Protective Clint Barton, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Tower story time!, What Happened in Budapest, literally just at the beginning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22547632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfsHonor/pseuds/WolfsHonor
Summary: "This is like Budapest all over again!""You and I remember Budapest very differently."- Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton During the battle of New YorkFor once there isn't a world ending crisis underway so the Avengers get to settle in for some nice R&R at the Tower. During their relaxing night filled with beer, pizza, and each others company stories are shared. From Tony's old antics to war stories from Steve to tales of old missions from Clint and Nat.During this night someone finally askes the question that everyone had wanted to know the answer to.What the hell happened in Budapest?
Relationships: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Little idea that popped into my head a while back. I've enjoyed coming up with this little story so I hope you enjoy it too. This is exactly what it sounds like it is, my take on what happened in Budapest.

It was a relatively calm evening for once in New York City. The city was quiet, the usual screeching of sirens was minimal to nonexistent. Surprisingly even major catastrophes seemed to have put themselves on hold. Overall any threats were easily being handled by local authorities or SHIELD. There was for once no Avenger level threats that needed responding to at the moment.

So of course, the Avengers took advantage.

It was a Friday night, and everyone was accounted for and at the tower for once. Tony had approached the rest of the team after discussing the idea with Bruce. Next thing the others knew Tony was inviting them to live in Stark Tower or rather Avengers Tower since the remodel. He had to rebuild most of the tower after the Battle of New York anyway, so he had figured why the hell not make it better. He had also apparently figured that every one of them was broken or fucked up in some way so he had the great idea that they could all be broken and fucked up together. He had even built them all their own personal rooms and everything. It was all kind of ridiculous.

They of course all moved in.

That had been over two years ago now. Since then the team had become a second family to him. Clint Barton may have had a wife and two kids at his farm in Missouri, but he also had this dysfunctional group of misfits. There was Nat who had been with him the longest and was forever and always his best friend. Hell, she was practically his sister. There was Steve who had become almost like a brother to him. Then there was Tony who had always come off way too arrogant at first, but they had warmed up to each other quickly. Talking shop about his bow and arrows may have helped. Bruce was a quiet and calm presence that had helped quite a bit after Loki had turned his mind into a blender. And finally, was of course Thor. The god of Thunder was by far the loudest but mostly fiercely loyal of the whole group. But Clint wouldn’t have it any other way. They were unique that’s for sure, but he’d gladly die for each and every one of them and he knew they’d do the same for him.

Usually when they were all together it was for a mission of some sort. Between Tony helping with Stark Industries, Bruce sitting in his lab working constantly, and Thor going back and forth between here and Asgard the team was already usually doing their own thing. Add to this that Clint, Steve, and Nat were all working for SHIELD it was rare for the three to get much time off. For a while it was rare for everyone to be in the tower at once and typically, they weren’t all together unless there was a threat that called for it. That changed fairly quickly though. Pepper had actually had the initial idea to try and have at least one Team night a week. That swiftly evolved into team dinners and eventual movie nights and anything in between. Not long after that everyone started to spend just about all their free time at the tower.

From there things changed even more. The team started to become closer and started becoming more independent rather than mainly working for SHIELD. Captain America and Strike Team Delta were technically still SHIELD agents, but they were now Avengers first and foremost. Over the last two years the team became family but not just from the small interactions they shared at the tower. Sure, they had fairly low-risk fights with run of the mill bad guys but what had truly tested them had been the major players. In short, they had all been through hell and back together and they were all stronger together thanks to it.

This week however had been rough at first. Clint had gone with Steve and Nat on a Strike mission for SHIELD that Monday. They found themselves fighting it out with a base full of AIM goons. The eggheads really didn’t know when to quit. The leader of the group was working on a biological weapon that would attack the body like a virus. Luckily, they destroyed his lab hidden in the jungles of South America and captured the nutcase. After spending most of the week tracking them down and then fighting it out, he was quite frankly, exhausted. The small trio of Avengers had made it back to the Tower this Friday just after lunch. And Tony had the best idea Clint had ever heard. Simple R&R with beer, pizza, movies and the pleasant company of his surrogate family.

That’s how they found themselves now. The team had all gathered in the communal space and lounged out on the white couches and chairs that surrounded the two sleek black coffee tables. Rhodey and Pepper had also managed to get some time free, so it had basically become a small Avengers family reunion. Rhodey and Thor occupied the two small armchairs at one end while everyone else took residence on the couches. On the couch that faced back towards the elevator and upper lab sat Bruce, Tony and Pepper. Bruce had taken the end with only one back cushion and on the other side past the seat with no back (an odd design for a couch if you asked him) Tony and Pepper sat. Tony was rested on the corner with his arm around Pepper’s shoulders. She herself had pulled her legs up onto the couch and was primarily resting against Tony. 

Lastly that left Him, Steve and Nat. They had settled onto the other couch across from the others. Theirs faced the large outer windows that looked out over the city skyline. Clint mirrored Bruce on the smaller end of his couch. He relaxed greatly and propped his feet on the coffee table in front of him unlike Bruce who just sat calmly. At that moment Clint watched as Steve walked back into the lounge area with two beers in his hands. Steve settled himself back down onto the opposite end of the couch and lightly handed Natasha on of the beers. She gave him a genuine smile of gratitude and as soon as he resettled into his spot, she leaned her back against his side. Natasha seemed the most relaxed of them all which was a rare occurrence. She was completely rested against Steve with her legs spread out along the rest of the couch. In fact, her feet were just a few inches away from his thigh. Steve had even put his arm along the back of the couch so rather than mainly laying her head against his shoulder Natasha was practically laying on Steve’s chest.

No one said a word about it, however. Clint had personally noticed how close the soldier and spy had become thanks to working closely with the pair for the last couple years. He had made subtle inquiries towards Natasha about a certain super soldier on more than one occasion, but she never really gave him anything. The others had of course also noticed the closeness of the pair as time had passed but no one ever really mentioned it. It wasn’t unusual to see a bit of PDA between the pair. However, tonight was by far the most openly close they had been and the fact that no one had mentioned it was a testament to how much alcohol had been ingested so far that night. The closeness of the two was also probably another testament to a substantial amount of inebriation. Thor had brought along some of his famous Asgardian liquor after all so everyone was at least buzzed at this point.

Most of the night had been talks of the past. From Tony sharing some stories of his wilder days to Thor regaling them with tales of his exploits across the realms. Even Steve had shared some old war stories from his time in Europe and about Howard Stark. Something that remarkably, Tony listened to eagerly. None of the others really knew exactly when his attitude towards his father had improved but they all had a suspicion that Steve and his reminiscence of his old friend had helped. But eventually that led to where the conversation was now.

“So, Katniss, how’d you get involved with SHIELD anyway?” Tony asked with a look of genuine curiosity written all over his face. Clint paused for a moment before he replied. Clint sipped at his bear as he began, “Well, when I was pretty young, I got involved with a pretty bad crowd for a while. While I was with them, I was taught archery and even swordsmanship. It’s pretty much where I learned everything I do.” He stopped for a moment to gauge the reactions of the others. Everyone was listening intently, even Natasha who already knew much of what he was talking about. “I ended up becoming a merc or well really a hitman. I got too good at though because I ended up on SHIELD’s radar. Coulson was still a field agent then and he was the one that was sent to deal with me. In the end he brought me in, and Fury offered me a job.”

Bruce was surprisingly the one to ask one of the questions on many of their minds. “What kind of bad crowd did you get into to have been taught archery and swordsmanship?” he asked with a puzzled look. Clint chuckled lightly before he responded, “It was a circus actually.” Everyone was amused by that if not a little baffled. Tony was laughing his ass off however as he breathed out, “I take it that’s where you learned your little rafter trick too huh!”

Clint shook his head slightly in mirth. “Yes, buckethead that’s where I learned my rafter trick.”

Everyone laughed for a few moments at the comical exchange. But Pepper asked the next question. “So, what about some of the missions you two ran for SHIELD while you guys were partners?” she directed at him and Natasha. Natasha was the first to respond, “Oh, there were plenty of story worthy ones.” She glanced his way with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Oh no, well two could play at this game. “There was one time in Paris where we needed to get a very wealthy company man alone at a gala.” Natasha continued with a smirk already plastered on her lips. “We had orders to seduce him and usually that would be my role, but it turned out that Monsieur Durant played for a different team.” Clint could feel his face going beat red from embarrassment while the others died laughing at his expense. 

Tony piped up in between bouts of laughter, “What’s wrong Clint? Could you not get the job done?” Clint glared slightly at Tony but the smile on his face betrayed him somewhat.

“You try and seduce another man Stark and see how it goes!”

Everyone continued to laugh as Rhodey asked, “Did you guys manage to get him?” The team finally calmed down their laughter in favor of hearing the rest. “Yeah, Clint managed to get him to a room, and we took him into custody. Though watching the process was a very painful experience.” Natasha remarked finishing the story. Clint decided it was time for a little payback on his best friend. “Yeah, but you guys know our wonderful Widow here isn’t always so calm and composed.” Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. Apparently, she didn’t recall what he was currently remembering. “There was this trafficking ring that was getting too ambitious for SHIELD’s liking in Bolivia, so we were sent in to dismantle the operation and neutralize the ringleaders.” Clint watched as recognition dawned on Natasha and she gave him a small glare. He smirked at her, “What? You got to embarrass me, so I get to embarrass you.”

“So anyways, we go and attack this compound with the Strike Team and It’s huge and it’s central building was this big ass Mansion.” The others were once again listening intently as Clint continued. “Me and Nat pushed into the mansion and went straight to what was believed to be their HQ on the second floor while the Strike Team secured the rest of the building. The whole time we’re getting call ins about finding weapons, drugs, and basically anything else you can think of. When we got into the room, we found all three of the ringleaders. One of them was by far the cockiest son of bitch I’ve ever seen. They all ended up surrendering but right before we cuff this guy he reaches out and gropes the hell out of Natasha’s ass.” Natasha predictably looks just as irritated as she had been when it happened. “And right after he does, Nat spins around and punches him once right in the face. Broke his nose and knocked him out and on his ass in one hit.” Natasha now had a grin of satisfaction on her face clearly amused at what she had done to the bastard.

Clint continued on. “And the look on Nat’s face was murderous. I swear she could’ve killed the guy with her eyes. The other two ringleaders are shaking and terrified. Hell, one of them pissed himself. After some of the Strike guys came and grabbed them, we started to check around the room to see if we could find anything else that could be important when we suddenly hear what sounds like crying. Turns out there was this small hidden room behind a bookcase. We opened it up and there’s these six little girls. The oldest one couldn’t have been more than maybe 14 or 16. We let them out and Nat has still got this mean ass look on her face when suddenly all six of these girls just start hugging her.” Natasha let a small smile grace her lips at the memory. “All the sudden the terrifying Black Widow is nowhere to be found. I swear she looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She was stiff as a board and she was looking at me with the widest eyes I’ve ever seen and her jaw just hanging open.” Clint chuckled lightly. “It was one of the first times I had seen her completely lose all semblance of control. She had no idea what to do.”

Everyone laughed lightly at what had stumped the usually composed Natasha even though they all found it sweet that that was what had. Tony being Tony still had to go and try and take a dig at Natasha though. “aww! Little Red has a heart! How Sweet!” Tony said in between large bouts of laughter. Natasha gave him a blank stare as she responded, and everyone went deathly silent for a moment. “You do realize I know how to kill you ten different ways with just my pinkie right.” Tony’s face shifted into one of slight fear causing everyone to break out into laugher once again.

Light digs at each other were sent back and forth at each other as their story filled night continued for about an hour. Finally, someone asked a question that gave Clint pause for a moment. “What about Budapest?” Clint looked towards Bruce who had been the one to ask the question. Tony chimed in as well. “Yeah actually. You guys have told us about plenty of your other missions but never about that one.” Clint glanced between the others and Natasha. The others all seemed curious and they had the right to be. It was practically an inside joke how much he and Nat would reference Budapest sometimes. What surprised him was the light smile on Natasha’s lips. He had never told any of the others about Budapest because it always felt like it was Natasha’s story to tell. But given how much she wanted to just get away from her past and move on he wasn’t surprised that she had never really told the story either. Besides most of the records were tightly wrapped thanks to Fury. Very few people knew what had really happened that night.

“C’mon Legolas, Natalie. What happened in Budapest?”

Natasha looked at Clint with a small smile and gave him a nod. It seemed that she was finally ready to tell the story. He couldn’t say that he was surprised. The team had become her family more than they had become his. In the end she responded first. “Budapest was when Clint saved me.”

Everyone stopped. Pepper was the first to speak again. “Wait, the way you guys would talk about it always sounded like it was just another mission for SHIELD.” Clint looked at the others before he spoke. “It was a SHIELD op. For me at least.” The team looked between the two agents. Dawning realization painting their faces. “But for me it was a mission for the Red Room” Natasha stated breathily.  
Natasha continued. “Budapest was where Clint was sent to kill me. Instead he saved me and brought me to SHIELD. We ended up having to fight a Red Room team that was sent after us, but we got out.” She looked at the faces around her. “And the rest is history.”

Clint glanced at Natasha as he said, “You know we remember Budapest very differently.” He laughed lightly. “About the only similarity it had to the Battle of New York was fighting in the streets.” The rest of the team was still actively listening. Everyone had been curious about their mission in Budapest and they were finally hearing the story. Natasha was wearing her signature smirk as she responded, “Oh really? I recall a pretty straightforward fight and then we got out of there.” Clint was baffled. If she really thought Budapest had been straightforward, he really didn’t want to know what she considered FUBARed. “Do you not remember one, trying to kill me at first. Two, the psychopath that was leading that Tac-Team. Oh, and three, the goddamn train!” Clint exclaimed exasperated.  
If everyone wasn’t listening intently, they were now. “Well why don’t you go ahead and tell everyone the story Clint.” Natasha stated simply. Clint swept his gaze around the room. Everyone was practically on the edge of their seats in anticipation.

He sighed. “Alright then. It all started one morning on the helicarrier.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The journey continues on. Clint begins his tale of Budapest and the events that occurred on the fateful night that he met the Black Widow.
> 
> This has been incredibly fun writing so I hope you enjoy the read!

_A younger and scruffier Clint Barton strolled through the dark gray halls of the helicarrier. Hill had just contacted him. She had informed him that the Director and his handler Agent Coulson wished to see him. He scratched lightly at his scruffy lightly bearded face as he approached the command deck. Upon entering he was greeted by the sight of Nick Fury and Phil Coulson seated at the small conference table. The Director quickly noticed his arrival. “Agent Barton. Take a seat.” Clint nodded in acknowledgement and sat in one of the Black leather chairs that surrounded the table. “You wanted to see me Sir.”_

_Coulson responded. “We have a mission for you agent Barton. Any and all pending assignments for you have been postponed. This one takes top priority.” Clint had to admit he was intrigued. He glanced at the two senior agents. Clint had been with SHIELD for a few years now and out of the whole agency these two men had his utmost respect. Hell, without them he’d probably be dead, and his family wouldn’t even exist. “What’s the op?”_

_The Director tapped at a few buttons on the table and brought a holographic display to life in the center of the table. Clint scanned the information in front of him quickly. There were what appeared to be files all written in Russian, locations marked all over the globe, but what was most notable was the single picture of a redheaded young woman. Coulson began briefing him, “You’re going after this woman. This is Natalia Alianova Romanova, or more commonly known as the Black Widow. She has quickly become one of the most efficient and deadliest assassins in the world.” Clint was captivated. In his time with SHIELD he had been sent after some of the worst scum of the earth he had ever encountered but this would be the highest profile target he’d ever been sent after._

_“We received word that someone has been employed to eliminate a Hungarian parliamentary official during their next meeting in two days. This official just so happens to be one of the Parliament’s most influential figures and lately he’s taken a pretty firm stance against Russia. Though we don’t know exactly what organization the Widow works for we do know they are Russian based and were affiliated to the KGB. Every other bit of intel we’ve managed to gather indicates that the Black Widow is the assassin being sent to eliminate the official.” Coulson stated._

_“What are my orders sir?” Clint asked awaiting what he believed he already knew. Fury was the one to speak this time. “The Black Widow is perhaps the most dangerous woman in the world Agent Barton. Your orders are simple. Elimination. She can’t be allowed to assassinate the official or be allowed to escape.” Clint was scanning the information in front of him as the director spoke. “She’s too dangerous to be kept alive. No mercy Barton.”_

_The picture was what intrigued Clint the most. The infamous Black Widow. If he was honest with himself, he was quite surprised by how young she appeared to be. But he couldn’t let that sway him. He himself had already gone off the deep end so to speak by the time he was 15 years old. “Understood Director. I’ll get it done.” Clint said resolutely looking Fury directly in his one good eye._

_Coulson replied swiftly, “Good. Go assemble your gear and quickly. You leave within the hour.” Clint nodded and swiftly turned and strode off the command deck and back into the halls of the carrier. He had an odd feeling sitting in the pit of his stomach. He could just sense it. His life was about to change because something about this op was big._

_As he arrived at the armory and opened his equipment locker his mind drifted back the single picture. Something about her just wasn’t sitting right with him. There was something almost familiar in the green eyes that shined through her holographic image. He grabbed his bow and loaded his quiver, shaking his head all the while. He couldn’t let himself go down that road. Clint slung his bow to his back and slipped the handgun into the holster on his thigh. He straightened fully and closed his locker._

_As he turned and began making his way to the upper deck, he cleared his mind. He had to focus on the mission no matter the fact that the redheaded young woman seemed so familiar for some reason. He had to focus. He had a mission to complete and he was certain that the Black Widow would die by his hand._

* * *

_Damn it was cold. Clint readjusted his SHIELD coat again and rubbed his hands together for warmth. It was the middle of December in Budapest and it was snowing lightly currently. The light fall was merrily adding to the inches that already covered the ground. Hell, he’d find the sight of the city covered in snow beautiful if it weren’t for the cold. He couldn’t feel his damn fingers._

_Clint continued to rub his black fingerless gloved hands together in hopes to regain at least some feeling as he gazed along the skyline. SHIELD had contacted the Hungarian government to inform them of the likely assassination attempt on a member of their parliament and they had graciously accepted SHIELD assistance in protecting him. Thanks to the cooperation they had allowed him to take up a watchful eye in the spire atop the parliamentary building. It gave him a perfect sightline to the grounds around the building and its access points along with the rooftops of the surrounding buildings._

_So far nothing eventful had happened. He had been keeping his gaze focused for anything unusual or out of place but there had been nothing. Clint had read up on everything they had managed to gather on the Widow and there was no doubt about her ability. She was extremely lethal. She had assassinated countless men after She had assassinated countless men after playing the part of a seductress yet was an immensely skilled marksmen as well and had made shots that could rival some of the best marksmen in the world. From what he had also come to understand she was a formidable opponent in hand to hand combat as well. Supposedly she was able to use her lithe body to every advantage possible. There was no doubt in his mind that she would be an immensely difficult target to eliminate._

_It was getting late. The sun was beginning to set and the day long session the Hungarian Parliament had been having would be coming to an end any moment now. Considering no chatter had come through about an infiltrator he had to assume that wherever the Widow was she hadn’t gone after the official while he was in the building. Given that the main steps to the Parliament building were so exposed the surrounding buildings all made perfect sniper positions. Seriously why didn’t people think about these things when they designed these buildings. If she hadn’t gone in close then he was willing to bet that she was undoubtably on one of the surrounding rooftops._

_He scanned the rooftops as he grabbed the sniper rifle that rested against the small wall. Though he preferred his bow in most situations, the environment called for something more ballistic. A small glint of light that seemed to be reflecting the setting sun caught his eye. Clint brought his gaze to where he was certain the small flicker of light had come from. He was now staring directly at the Museum of Ethnology that sat across the courtyard and street from the Parliament building. There were two small towers on the roof of the museum. Suddenly what seemed like movement caught his attention. He swiftly brought the Scope of the rifle to his eye._

_And there it was; the bright red hair was the most striking against the darkening sky and snow covered rooftops. She had set up what appeared to be a small sniper’s nest in one of the towers of the museum. The Black Widow also seemed to know that the assembly was letting out any second now. She had perched her own rifle on the ledge. The sightline she had on the front doors to the building was unparalleled. If the official walked out those doors, there’d be nothing he’d be able to do to stop it._

_He hesitated for a moment. Still there was an odd feeling resting in the pit of his stomach, but he ignored it. Clint aimed his rifle steadily. The crosshairs of the scope lined up perfectly with the redhead’s forehead. He raised his right hand to his ear to activate his earpiece and called into it, “Keep them all inside. I’ve got the Widow in my sight.” He was connected to the building’s security team and one of them replied quickly, “Will do, Agent Barton.”_

_With the assurance that the official should be out of any danger he refocused on his task. Clint’s crosshairs were still firmly resting on the Black Widow’s head as he brought his right hand back down to wrap around the handle of the rifle. His finger crawled to rest on the trigger as his breathing steadied. This was it, all it would take is the pull of the trigger and this mission was over. He sucked in a deep breath filling his lungs and burning his nose from the cold air._

_A flash of green eyes across his vision._

_A slow exhalation of breath._

_And he squeezed the trigger._

_The resounding crack rang out deafeningly. Clint’s gaze never leaving the scope. Instead of being met by the sight of a dead body with a clean hole in its head; he was staring at a pair of wide vibrant green eyes as they stared back at him. He had changed his aim at the last second and he had no idea why. Instead of killing her the bullet had torn her rifle from her hands._

_Clint was frozen. Why hadn’t he killed her? She was his target and his orders had been clear. She had to die._

_In reality, he knew exactly why he hadn’t killed her. The reason was staring deep into his soul through the lens of his scope. Those damn eyes that screamed familiarity that he didn’t want to admit to._  
_The trance was broken abruptly. Those wide eyes had shifted to a gaze of determination. Suddenly the Black Widow was on the move, sprinting across the roof of the museum. Shit. He couldn’t let her get away!_

_He dropped the rifle and swiftly equipped his bow. Clint vaulted over the railing of the spire and began to slide down the sloped roof of the building. “Agent Barton! What’s going on? Have you eliminated the target?” Coulson called through the communicator. The slope was ending, and Clint really didn’t want to make that drop onto the lower rooftop, so he grasped one of the support columns and began climbing down. His gaze tore back towards the museum rooftop where he could see the widow about to reach the edge of the building._

_He dropped swiftly and rolled, effortlessly breaking into an open stride along the lower roof. If he didn’t get on the ground soon, he’d have no chance of catching her. She was disappearing along the edge of the museum when an idea struck him. R &D had just finished creating one of his latest ideas for a new arrow and there was no better opportunity to test it out than now. He only had a few but he notched one and while never breaking his stride he fired the arrow. The line followed the arrow as it struck one of the trees in the courtyard. He detached the other end from his bow and anchored it to the rooftop._

_Here’s hoping this works. Clint jumped and used his bow as a makeshift hook to slide down the zipline. “I missed. I’m in pursuit now.” He stated simply through his communicator. Cold wind was biting into his face as he flew towards the ground. As soon as he was a foot from the ground he dropped from the line and began sprinting towards the museum. Cars were honking their horns as he crossed the street barely escaping being hit by the oncoming traffic._

_“You missed? You never miss Barton.” Coulson’s voice rang out from his earpiece. Stunning red hair was all he could make out as he saw the Widow breaking left down another street and disappearing into the crowd. Clint stopped to catch his breath, hunching over slightly and placing his hands on his knees. He spoke into his earpiece breathlessly, “I missed Phil, but I’m in pursuit.” Pedestrians were still walking along the sidewalks even after his shot had rang out. Clearly, they either hadn’t heard or didn’t care but his train of thought was broken by the sight of something red once again._

_Clint crouched down low, his right knee crunching the snow beneath it as he brought his left hand down to inspect what had caught his attention. He lightly ran his figures through the reddened snow and brought it eye level. “Don’t worry, she’s not getting away.” He stated evenly already beginning to follow the trail the Black Widow had unintentionally left behind. It wasn’t much and the typical person wouldn’t be able to follow it. But a trained and experienced man such as himself, all he had to do is follow and she’d lead him right to her own demise._

_Splashes of blood painted his trail. They were few and far between, a couple drops on the street corner to the partial handprint on an alley wall, but they led him perfectly. She hadn’t taken a direct route back to wherever she was hiding out, but she didn’t cover her tracks enough to throw him off. Clint was impressed, she clearly wasn’t injured enough to hinder her movement and she had managed to run and blend into the crowd for a quite a few blocks._

_He found the building that she must be staying in. The Mini-partman Budapest. Clint entered the building quietly, the building itself was one large square with an open courtyard center. The rooms were settled along each wall almost like a small motel stacked on top of itself. The spiral stairwell that led to the upper levels caught his attention first. The bloody handprint on the railing told him everything he needed to know._

_Clint started climbing the steps. Drips of blood were scattered over a few of them until he reached the third level. He followed the trail out onto the balcony that led to the rooms. He silently stepped along the balcony with his pistol unholstered. His fingers were clenched tightly around the cold metal, his elbows pulled flush with his torso, his weapon held at the ready for anything._

_His senses were going haywire. Every little sound and sight sparked his awareness. Hypervigilance was the key to making sure the Widow didn’t somehow get the drop on him. Finally, he approached the door that would be completely inconspicuous if it wasn’t for the light spattering of blood around the handle. From a distance he wouldn’t have seen it but up close the red substance was unmistakable._  
_Darkness had long since enveloped the city but it’s shining lights had illuminated it in a golden glow. Unlike the other rooms no light shined from this room. If he didn’t know better, he’d of thought the room wasn’t occupied._

_There weren’t many options for him to choose from for how to play this, so he went with the straightforward approach. Clint carefully twisted the handle and slowly pushed into the door; his handgun steadied on the expanding opening. He treaded gingerly into the room. It was shrouded in darkness and there were shadows everywhere. He could just make out the twin-sized bed in the center of the room. What appeared to be a small end-table and chair rested in the corner by a small window that offered the only light in the room other than the still open door behind him._

_The door creaked as he slid it back shut, pressing his back flush against it. Scanning the room quickly he still didn’t see her which didn’t bode well. The only other room was what appeared to be a small bathroom off to the left corner of the room. Silently he ambled towards the bathroom door, shifting around and checking every shadow in the room with his gun held readily._

_Clint reached the other side of the room and there was still no sign of the redhead. The door was cracked open slightly, but the bathroom was just as shrouded in darkness as the rest of the room. Abandoning the silent approach, he swiftly swung the door open and stepped into the bathroom. But just like the rest of the room there was nothing. A tub and shower combo was directly ahead of him at the end. To his left sat the toilet and the sink which had a mirror attached to the wall above it._

_Something wasn’t right. She was in there with him somewhere and he knew it. The Black Widow was in this room he just had to find her. Clint moved back into the room itself and stood right in the center facing the now closed door. His senses were still heightened but the silence in the room was deafening._

_Then he heard something. It was the slightest rustle of fabric, yet it was louder than ever thanks to the silence. He shifted his head towards the sound and just as he was about face the bed a gloved fist was flying at his face. Clint ducked under the strike and raised his gun, finger already resting on the trigger._

_Suddenly his assailant dropped low and swept his legs out from under him. The impact knocked the breath out of his lungs stunning him momentarily. His gun was forcibly kicked from his hand and just as quickly his opponent was straddling him and bringing a knife to his chest. Clint grasped the woman around the wrists and violently pushed against her attacking hands. Damn she was strong._  
_He looked up and was once again met by those green eyes. The Widow’s red hair was framing her cold and menacing face. Those bright eyes shining with a blazing fury. Her strength faltered just enough and gave him the opening he needed. He quickly punched out with his left hand striking her in the side of the head while his right kept the knife from plunging into his chest. The woman was surprised from the sudden strike and Clint pressed his advantage shoving her weight off himself and rising back to his feet._

_Face-to-face. Clint was now face-to-face with the infamous Black Widow. She was like a blazing fire. Her face was contorted into a cold and furious visage. Her hair a disheveled but still striking red and her eyes that shined with a light of their own in the darkness. She was in a sleek black cat suit that hugged every curve of her body. A utility belt wrapped around her thin waist with her signature hourglass symbol adorning the buckle. An empty holster rested on her thigh and what he assumed were her famous Widow’s bites were attached to her wrists._

_They mirrored each other, both in readied stances waiting to see who would make the next move. She held her knife in her right hand while her left activated the bite on her wrist sending through its electrical current. If he had to guess, she was trying to intimidate him but he hadn’t come this far to fail now. Clint unsheathed the knife from the back of his belt and readied himself. He had his orders and it was only a matter of time before their dance began._

_She struck like lightning the blade careening towards his face. He brought his own up quickly blocking her strike. The harsh sound of metal scraping metal rang out around them as he took a swing with his left hand connecting with her ribs. She was quick though and before he knew it her elbow harshly connected with his stomach and a swift slice into his arm followed. He used being brought low to his advantage slicing at her right leg before she could get away tearing through the fabric and flesh. Another strike upwards as he righted himself cut her lightly across the abdomen._

_It quickly became a flurry of attacks from both of them. He managed to punch her in the jaw. She cut into his right shoulder. Another slice into her left arm. A stab into his side that hurt like a bitch. He retaliated with harsh and swift kicks to her ribs. Punches, kicks, slashes, and stabs were traded back and forth, again and again._

_Once again, they stood facing one another. Blood dripping from each of their hands. Their knives coated in red. Blood puddled on the floor. The Black Widow was remarkably skilled. She had quickly become the most formidable opponent Clint had faced in hand to hand combat. They both were panting lightly from exertion. “You know. You’re pretty damn good Widow.” Clint breathed out as the pair began to circle one another. Neither dropping their guard in the slightest. “vy umerli” The redheaded young woman replied._

_“That’s not very nice.” He snarked. His gaze never leaving the Russian in front of him. Their brief pause ended as he charged her. Clint struck quickly sending his knife hurtling toward the woman’s neck. She barely blocked it with her own blade but while she focused on the blade only centimeters from her skin, he kicked her back sending her careening back first into the wall. The impact dazed her, and he quickly brought his blade against her exposed neck._

_Clint was pressed close to the young woman keeping her pinned to the wall. His right hand holding the blade to her neck while his left pinned her own blade against the wall as well. This was it; he had her now all he had to do was slide the blade across her neck and it would be over._

_But those green eyes once again came into his vision. Those eyes that had shone in fury mere moments before. Those same eyes screamed familiarity again and he hesitated._  
_And his hesitation cost him. Suddenly she brought her left fist up and into his ribs activating her widow’s bite. The shock was enough to get him to loosen his hold and the electric current stung like hell. Before he could recover, she grabbed his shoulders for leverage pressing against the wall and kicked out. Hard._

_Her feet harshly connected with his chest and sent him to the floor in the center of the room. His knife had been knocked out of his hands and she was charging him again her knife poised and ready._  
_Clint only had one option left, he pulled the bow off his quiver and hit the button to extend it as he rose to his knees. He brought the bow up just in time to block the knife before it could embed itself in his skull. He seemed to catch her off guard as he pushed upwards raising to his feet._

_The woman shook off her momentary shock quickly and attempted to slice at him again and again. Each time he blocked the strike and retaliating with small strikes from the ends of his bow._  
_She growled in frustration and charged him fiercely again. Instead of attempting to block her strike he crouched low and swung his bow at her legs. The Russian careened forward after her feet were suddenly ripped out from under her._

_The woman slammed into the wall and floor right next to the bed, the knife clattering uselessly from her hand and out of her reach. She began to push herself back up but stopped as she turned to face him._

_Clint stood over the Black Widow arrow notched and at the ready, aimed directly at the woman’s heart. It would be instant. She was finished. Beaten and bloodied and on her knees. His face was as blank as stone. This was the job; he had his orders and she had to die._

_But those green eyes were wide once again, staring straight into his own. Her hair was a mess, some of it disheveled while some was matted with blood. Blood trickled from a small cut on her forehead and from a split lip. But that didn’t matter this was it. All he had to do was release the arrow and it would be over._

_But he couldn’t._

_And he finally understood why._

_Because now he wasn’t looking at the Black Widow. He wasn’t looking at the dangerous assassin who had almost killed him moments ago. Now he was looking at Natalia and she was just a young woman._

_A young woman who couldn’t be much older than 18. He looked into her eyes and instead of that fury he had seen, now all he could see was fear. The young woman was terrified to die._  
_She had done some terrible things that’s for sure. But so had he, and right now he saw nothing more than a terrified young woman who had no idea how this had become her life._

_That familiarity he had seen in her eyes now made sense. Because right now he was looking at himself before Coulson had brought him to SHIELD. Nothing more than a scared kid just trying to survive the circumstances that had brought them there._

_Her face calmed in acceptance and she spoke, “Go ahead. Kill me.” she stared him in the eyes. “I deserve it.”_

_Clint had his orders. He knew what he should do. He had made calls in the field though since Coulson and Fury trusted his judgment. He should release the arrow but damn it he was making a different call._

_“No. I’m not going to kill you.” He said as he lowered his bow._

_Her face morphed into one of confusion. She couldn’t seem to understand why he was showing her mercy. “Why? I know that’s why you must have been sent here. To kill me.”_

_“Yeah well, I’m making a different call.” Clint replied. He collapsed his bow and reattached it to his quiver, and then retrieved his gun off the floor where it lay after their first encounter. “Stay there” he said as he walked around the bed grabbing the two chairs that rested by the small table. He brought them over and rested them in the center of the very area they had just finished spilling each other’s blood. He sat them down facing one another about a foot or two apart and settled himself into the one closest to the door._

_“Come on. Take a seat and let’s have a talk.” He ordered lightly trying to be somewhat friendly to the woman he had just been moments away from killing. He had his handgun in his hand lightly resting it on his thigh not threateningly but still in warning. She was unarmed and still on the ground, he had effectively stripped her of the upper hand._

_The Black Widow hesitantly brought herself to her feet and warily padded her way to the other chair. She sat herself into it and stared back at Clint. Her eyes were empty as if she still accepted that death was inevitable._

_“Why didn’t you kill me?” she asked emotionlessly. Blunt and to the point, Clint could deal with that._

_He looked her in the eyes. He wanted her to understand that he was being genuine here. “Because I don’t think you deserve to die.”_  
_That seemed to surprise her, her façade flickering for a moment before resuming the blank visage. “Maybe you should have.”_

_“Look I’m going to give it to you straight. I was sent to kill you, but I’m willing to make a different call.” Clint had managed to get her rapt attention. “There are two ways this works. We have a nice chat and you get to live, or I kill you and finish my mission. Either way I’m going to walk out that door and if you’re smart, you’ll be walking out with me.”_

_Her blank expression faltered, and the scared young woman reappeared slightly. “Okay. Let’s talk.”_  
_Clint gave her a small smile in satisfaction. “First, what’s your name? Don’t want to sit here and call you Widow the whole time.”_

_“It’s Natalia.”_

_“Alright Natalia. I’m Clint. I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but I think we’ve already become fairly acquainted.” He replied slightly nodding towards their numerous small wounds near the end. “I kind of know what you’re going through right now. I was in a very similar position to your own a couple years ago.”_

_Natalia’s attention was on him and luckily, she didn’t seem to be planning any attempt to continue their fight, so Clint let himself relax ever so slightly as she spoke. “I take it you went with the option to walk out the door.”_

_He nodded in reply and asked, “You weren’t a willing participant in this were you? In becoming the Black Widow?”_

_Natalia finally forwent any attempt at hiding behind a mask and let the scared young woman return fully. “No, I wasn’t. The Red Room took me in as a little girl. This is the result.” She said emphasizing herself with her hands at the end._

_“The Red Room? Is that the program you work for?” he questioned._

_“Yes. It was formed under the KGB and it’s survived ever since.”_

_“Let me ask you this Natalia. If you weren’t willing to be a part of their program, did you ever try and escape?” Clint inquired. He had a feeling he knew the answer, but he wanted to gauge if his judgement was right about the young woman._

_She lowered her head and stared at her hands clasped together in her lap as she responded. “There wasn’t any escape other than death. They trained us to be killers and, in the end, there would only be one of us left. I tried to fail purposefully but she knew what I was trying to do.” Natalia raised her head and there was a vulnerability in her eyes he wasn’t expecting. “There’s a graduation ceremony. They took something from me that I can never get back.” She finished voice shaking slightly._

_Clint gave her a look of sympathy; he didn’t need to know what they took. He could already see just how much it had scarred the woman before him. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”_

_Her expression shifted to one of acceptance. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter now anyway. Besides it made everything easier, including killing.” She said with a grim smile and shake of her head._

_“You know you’ve got quite the body count. That’s why I’m here. You got on SHIELD’s radar and not in a good way.” His expression hardened as he gazed at the woman across from him. “There’s blood on your hands Natalia. And that’s a hell of a lot of red you’ve got in your ledger.”_

_Her gaze moved back to her hands almost in shame. Clint finally saw the opportunity he had been waiting for so he spoke, “But, I may be able to help you wipe it out.” Her head shot back up to face him and he offered her a small smile. “I’m offering you a one-time proposition. You leave the Red Room and leave here with your life if and only if, you come back to SHIELD with me.”_

_Natalia seemed to be contemplating his offer lightly biting her lower lip in thought. But before she could respond the relative calm and peace, they had managed to find suddenly shattered._

_The ear-piercing sound of gunfire penetrated the calm atmosphere, bullets were suddenly flying into the room through the windows on either side of the room. Clint and Natalia both dove from the chairs and to the floor for cover. Bullets were striking the bed, walls, and chairs sending debris and smoke everywhere in the room. “der'mo!” Natalia cursed in Russian as she pressed herself as low to the floor as she could._

_Clint was also pressed low to the floor and the pair faced one another about two feet apart. It seemed there was another party involved in this. The firing stopped. The pair communicated nonverbally and moved towards either side of the window that rested next to the apartment’s door. They both raised to a crouch and carefully peered through the window. Natalia spoke in irritation, “Damn it! I should’ve known!”_

_Outside there were at least a dozen men all dressed black fatigues and body armor. Each one was armed with AK-12s the more advanced and modern-day equivalent to the popular Kalashnikovs. Every one of them had their weapons trained on the apartment except for one man standing in the small courtyard. He was also the one exception from all the other soldiers. Instead of their black tactical gear he was in black combat pants and what appeared to be some sort of dark gray Kevlar weaved body armor shirt with short sleeves. His hands were bound in black combat gloves and his face was masked by a dark gray balaclava including lens that blocked his eyes from view. And Finally adorning his chest was the symbol of a large spider. It seemed that whoever this team was, he was the leader._  
_Clint glanced towards Natalia. “You know these guys?”_

_A thick Russian accented voice yelled out, “I know you’re in there Widow! Why don’t you come on out so we can handle this spider-to-spider!”_

_Clint shot her an unamused look as she turned to look at him. “Unfortunately, I do.” The pair crouched back down low below the windowsill. “The big guy is Niko Constantin. Otherwise known as the Wolf-Spider. He leads a Red Room kill team. These guys would get sent in to handle things that didn’t need a delicate touch.” She sighed. “Apparently the Red Room had him shadowing me because he shouldn’t be here.”_

_He checked his handgun. Clint had 11 bullets left and only one more spare magazine. He had about 30 arrows in his quiver but with how armed his opponents were, he wasn’t fond of his odds. “If I let you get your gun? You promise not to shoot me in the back?” he asked Natalia. She smirked as she replied, “No promises, but you’re going to need all the help you can get.” The widow quickly slipped to the bed retrieving her dropped weapon and returned to her previous position._

_“I’ve got plenty of arrows but this close they’re useless and I’ve only got 27 rounds left. How about you?” Clint queried quickly._

_Natalia checked her Makarov. She had a full magazine of 12 rounds and two to spare in her utility belt. “I’ve got 36.” She said as she glanced at the SHIELD agent on the other side of the window. “Our odds aren’t great.”_

_“You’ve got until the count of Ten to come on out Widow! If you don’t, we’re coming in and I can’t promise the boys will be nice!” Came the thickly accented voice again._

_Clint slipped across the room to the window that faced the street. Through the bullet ridden glass he could see at least four other soldiers on the rooftops across the street. There went that idea. He shifted back over the to his spot across from Natalia. “They’ve got guys on the rooftops across the street. Back Window Isn’t an option.” He said as he looked at her, mind racing for a plan._

_“TEN!” The Russian team’s leader began his count down._

_“We have to fight.” Natalia said resolutely. Clint nodded at her in acknowledgement. The odds definitely weren’t in their favor, but they didn’t have another choice._

_“NINE!”_

_“We’ve got two options here. We either wait and let them come to us.” Clint started. “Or we push out that door right now and fight through.” Natalia nodded taking a deep breath steadying herself._

_“EIGHT!”_

_“Let them come to us. We can try and ambush them when they enter the room.” She stated quickly._

_“SEVEN!”_

_“Alright, let’s do this.” Clint replied. “I’ll set up right in that corner” he said while gesturing to the corner of the room behind her. “You go use the bathroom door, hold it open and hide behind it.”_

_“SIX!”_

_The pair moved to their positions. Clint leaned against the wall to keep himself steady his handgun rested heavily in his hands as he aimed towards the door. Natalia stood as still as a statue behind the open bathroom door._

_“FIVE!”_

_“Don’t push out until I start firing.” Clint called to her as he glanced at her across the room._

_“FOUR!”_

_Natalia nodded at him gripping her pistol tightly._

_“THREE!”_

_Both took a deep breath in._

_“TWO!”_

_They exhaled._

_“ONE!”_

_The door burst open and four of the black clad soldiers pressed into the room quickly. One of them turned to the right immediately upon entering the room but before he could do anything Clint put a bullet between his eyes._

_From there all hell broke loose._

_The three other soldiers were startled by the sudden death of their comrade. One of them turned towards him but before he could fire his own weapon, he was struck by two bullets from the Widow._  
_Another soldier began firing his rifle at the woman as she dove to the ground behind the bed. The other soldier in the room turned towards him. Clint charged the man, harshly pushing the rifle upwards as the soldier pulled the trigger causing dust and drywall to rain down on them. Clint kept one arm pressing the other mans’ upwards as he brought his handgun up, quickly hitting the soldier across the face with it, stunning him and sending him reeling backwards._

_As he grappled with one the other pushed into the room after Natalia. The soldier turned and fired at the ground on the other side of the bed expecting to find the body of the woman. Instead the soldier had littered the floor with bullets. Suddenly the soldier’s ankle was sliced into by a knife from under the bed._

_The man screamed in pain as his ankle gave out and fell to the floor. The Widow swiftly moved from under the bed straddling the man and slicing his throat, turning his screams of pain into a disturbing throaty gurgle._

_Before the other soldier could recover from hitting the wall Clint put two rounds into his chest right above the protective layer of Kevlar. “Four down. God knows how many to go.” Clint said breathily._  
_The pair pressed themselves against the wall in between the door and window. They made a small victory here, but their fight was far from over. “There are two more at the door to the stairwell.” Natalia said from her position by the door. “We’ll have to assume the rest are on the lower levels.”_

_“Push through them. That’s the only choice we’ve got.” Clint replied turning his head from the window and towards her. She nodded in agreement; her face hardened in determination. He turned around completely standing just behind her right shoulder as she prepared to move out the door._

_“On three. One… two… three! Go!” Clint ordered. Natalia sprinted through the door with him hot on her heels. She squeezed off two shots dropping both soldiers quickly. They made their way into the stairwell taking the spiral staircase two steps at a time. Upon reaching the second floor they were stopped by a cacophony of gunfire sending them scattering towards any cover they could find in the small indoor stairwell._

_There were multiple soldiers at the bottom of the stairs firing up at them as they climbed towards the second level. The pair continued stepping backwards returning fire at the soldiers. Suddenly their backs were to the wall literally. Clint managed to hit the lead soldier in the head killing him instantly and his body fell backwards knocking the advancing soldiers back down the steps buying the pair some time. “They’re backing us into a damn corner!”_

_Natalia glanced at him with her weapon still trained on the stairwell. Her eyes began darting across the small room they were in when her eyes landed on the window that rested right in between them. “The window!” she rushed towards it and noticed that the street was right below it “We can jump out the window. The street’s right there.”_

_Clint looked at her in disbelief. “That is a terrible idea! You want to jump out of a second story window?!”_

_“I’d rather do that than get shot!”_

_Gunfire rang out again the soldiers were making their way back up the stairs. “Come on!” Natalia yelled as she threw her body into the glass. A bullet whistled by his head. “Shit!” Clint moved towards the window emptying his magazine into the stairwell. “This is a terrible Idea!” he exclaimed as he threw himself through the window as well._

_Clint landed harshly and rolled across the rough pavement for a moment. He groaned as he pushed his body up slightly shards of glass surrounding him and digging into one of his gloved palms. “Clint! Get up!” Natalia screamed as she rushed to his side grabbing one of his arms. He rose to his feet ignoring the searing pain from the fall running through his whole body. Pedestrians had backed away from the pair many conversing in shocked tones and curious whispers._

_The murmurs of conversation were replaced with screams as bullets came raining down at them from the window they had just come through. Pedestrians were scattering in fear and Clint and Natalia ran down the sidewalk dodging the gunfire. Natalia firing back a few times to try and hit the shooter. Suddenly more of the soldiers were making it out onto the street from the apartment building began firing at the pair as well with no care of hitting civilians._

_They ran Natalia screaming as she waved her arms at the terrified pedestrians “Run! Get out of here now!” Clint could see the corner just a few feet ahead. Bullets were flying everywhere striking the pavement, exterior walls, vehicles, and people. But he had to ignore that. Right now, his priority had to be getting them out of there._

_Just before he turned the corner an uncharacteristic yelp reached his ears. One of the soldiers had managed to hit Natalia in the calf sending her to the ground. Clint spun and looked back at her and once again the terrified eyes of the young woman stared back at him. He sprinted to her, quickly wrapping his arm under her own and around her torso, pulling her to her feet. The pair moved as quickly as they could turning the corner in a bid to escape their pursuers line of sight._

_They could still here the screams of terror from the civilians fleeing the scene as they made it to the other end of the block turning another corner just as the group of soldiers turned the previous corner. Natalia pulled herself away from Clint testing her leg quickly. She was lucky it had only been a graze. Still hurt like a hell but it was better than having a bullet stuck in her leg._

_Clint pressed himself against the wall finally reloading his Glock while Natalia did the same with her Makarov. He had to contact Coulson. They were going to need an extract ASAP. He pressed a finger to his earpiece, “Phil! I need an exfil ASAP! Can you give me an ETA?”_

_“We’ve hit a snag thanks to the weather. It’s going to be at least 30 minutes until we can get a bird to you.” Coulson replied over his comm. Clint sighed in exasperation, this day was getting better and better. “That’s not good enough Coulson! I need an extraction now.”_

_“What have you gotten yourself into Barton?”_

_“Ran into some associates of the Black Widow. They’re not too friendly” he said as he leaned around the corner to check for the soldiers and was met with bullets flying his way, one grazing his bicep tearing through the fabric of his jacket, “Shit!”_

_Natalia swung around the corner firing off three shots before returning to safety. The pair began sprinting up the street trying to get away from their pursuit. The soldiers turned the corner behind them quickly, immediately firing at the pair._

_There were cars parked all along the left side of the small street that they used for cover as they sprinted around them. Making use of the large metal barriers to avoid being struck by the many rounds being fired their way. Bullets were pinging off and denting metal as well as shattering glass._

_A large white van was parked in one of the last spots at the end of the street and they both threw themselves behind it. Both were panting heavily from sprinting for their lives. Clint and Natalia alternated firing back at the advancing soldiers both managing to strike one of them._

_“We need to get around that street corner over there” Clint said pointing to the corner on the right side of the small street they were on, “You give me some covering fire and then I’ll return the favor.”_

_Natalia nodded and straighten back out firing another four rounds at the now four advancing soldiers. Niko wasn’t with them, but she didn’t have time to worry about that. As she fired Clint sprinted across the asphalt and reached the street corner unscathed. Natalia ducked back behind the van and moved to the back of it. The soldiers were getting closer._

_Clint used the building as leverage firing his handgun at the advancing soldiers giving Natalia the opening to run to his position. As soon as she sprinted past him, he turned and followed. Ahead of them was a large and busy intersection even at the late hour even the trams that ran down the middle of the road were still running._

_What caught his eye though was the large building on the other side of the intersection. If they were lucky it was their ticket out of the city. “Natalia! The train station. We can lose them in there.” He called to the woman keeping pace with him._

_“Something’s not right Clint. Niko is hands on. He’d never miss the opportunity to kill me himself.” She responded a sliver of dread creeping into her voice._

_“Doesn’t matter. We aren’t equipped to take them head on; we have got to go.” Clint said as they both sprinted straight through the street disregarding the traffic all around them. Bullets were suddenly peppering the ground at their feet again as the remaining soldiers chasing them on foot reached the sidewalk they had just ran from. Cars were blaring horns and tires were screeching as a few collided with one another and others were struck by the stray rounds being sent into the busy intersection._

_The golden glow of the streetlights shined on the snow as it began to fall once again and the muzzle flash of the soldier’s rifles offering a demented flash in the dark as they fired. As Natalia glanced back at their pursuers, she noticed two sets of headlights speeding towards them from the southern street. The vehicles slammed through any civilian car in its way without slowing down. “Clint, we’ve got a problem.”_

_Clint brought his gaze to the vehicles as well just in time to see the distinct flash of an RPG being fired from one of them. “Get Down!” he exclaimed as he roughly grabbed her by the back of her catsuit dragging her to the asphalt with him._

_A second rocket was fired right after the other and both careened over the pair’s heads as they pressed themselves to the ground. One struck a group of three cars destroying them instantly and sending debris everywhere as the other quickly followed striking the ground just behind the cars creating a sizable divot in the pavement._

_The telltale crack of automatic gunfire rang out around them as the vehicles came closer to their position. The wrecked and destroyed cars were currently resting in the middle of the street one pushed upwards by the raised ground created by the divot. The pair scrambled towards the small crater since it was their only cover in the middle of the open intersection, rounds flying all around them._

_They used the upturned car resting on the edge of the small crater as cover returning fire at the advancing vehicles. The vehicles turned out to be open jeeps each one carrying another four soldiers in its seats and one in the small back bed that had fired the RPG. The jeeps screeched to a halt about 10 yards from them, the soldiers inside quickly dispersing and slowly stalking towards them, the relentless onslaught of gunfire never ceasing._

_Natalia reloaded her handgun with slightly shaking hands, gripping it tight enough to turn her knuckles white as she finished. “I’m down to my last mag.” She stated shakily._

_Clint had a strong feeling of unease settling in the pit of his stomach. Their odds had already been low but now they were abysmal. He thought grimly of his wife, Laura would hate him if he didn’t come home especially if he died going off book. God why couldn’t he have just completed his mission and gone home. He looked over and at the young woman who was taking a deep breath next to him steadying herself._

_This young woman was the reason he had abandoned his orders. She was just like he had been, and he would probably still be a hired killer if Coulson hadn’t found him. If the woman before him didn’t deserve a second chance, then he damn sure shouldn’t have gotten one either. She deserved a chance to make amends and he was going to make damn sure she got that chance with SHIELD._

_Even if it was the last thing he did._

_He pulled his bow from his back and flipped it open. It was time to make those arrows be of some use. “Here” he said handing her his Glock, “It’s got 9 rounds left. Make them count.” She nodded accepting the handgun from his outstretched hand._

_Niko, The Wolf-Spider, was standing in the middle of his soldiers as they continued firing on their position. “It is over Natalia! You and your American dog have nowhere to go!” his thickly accented voice rang out._

_Clint and Natalia glanced at each other and silently communicated with a nod. Their attackers stopped firing for a moment giving them the perfect opportunity to strike. Clint raised himself up over the wrecked car with his arrow nocked, Natalia did the same readying her handgun. She fired round after round at the soldiers as he let loose arrow after arrow._

_Two of the soldiers fell quickly to his well-placed arrows and three others dropped from the Widow’s excellent aim. They both ducked back under cover as the remaining soldiers opened fire. Clint suddenly had an idea as the bullets were clanging against the metal of the wrecked car, Natalia popping in and out of cover swiftly firing back at their assailants._

_“Get ready to run.” He ordered her. Clint grabbed another arrow and pressed the button on his bow to switch the arrowhead before he removed it from the quiver. He placed the arrow onto his bow and drew back the string, bringing himself up to face the soldiers. His gaze found the Wolf-Spider still standing right in the middle of the team. He exhaled and released the arrow._

_The trajectory led to it landing right at the Wolf-Spider’s feet and upon impact the arrowhead burst sending out a cloud of smoke engulfing him and the surrounding soldiers._

_“Go! Get to the Station now!” Clint ordered to the woman next to him. They sprinted to the train station’s entrance both pushing themselves greatly. Their multitude of injuries were starting to take their toll._

_As they entered the station the Wolf-Spider emerged from the smoke and spotted the pair. “They’re fleeing into the station. Four of you follow me; the rest of you get back into the jeeps and await my word.” He ordered his men finally pulling his own Makarov from its holster and marching towards the train station._

_The platforms were littered with people especially as one of the trains began offloading its passengers. Many of the pedestrians were giving them odd looks as they walked through the station, but Clint couldn’t blame them. They definitely looked like the odd pair right now, himself bloodied in his dark black SHIELD issued clothes, bow still out and at the ready, and Natalia cut, shot, and bleeding in her skin tight catsuit handgun still resting in her deadly hands._

_Clint’s mind was racing, that little skirmish had only lasted maybe ten minutes but even that seemed like a stretch. They needed to lose their tail or deal with them before extraction can happen. His gaze came back to the train that was off loading the last of its passengers. That was it, they could easily lose them all they had to do was board the train._

_Natalia seemed to have the same thought as her gaze found where his own had fallen and they both ran to the front of the train. He knew they only had another minute at best before their pursuers caught up with them in the station and they didn’t exactly blend in well. Just as the last person was stepping out of the front passenger car the pair slipped through the open doors. Natalia leaned her back against the sleek white side of the car catching her breath while he moved to the front of the train to find the driver._

_The sliding door to the train’s controls opened revealing the conductor to Clint. “Sorry pal, nothing personal, but I need your train.” He stated pulling the confused conductor from his seat and leading him to the passenger doors. The man stumbled and turned around to face Clint with a face filled with confusion and disbelief but rather than trying to fight with what he was sure the man assumed was a crazy man with a bow he just walked off._

_Clint made his way back to the control bay of the train with Natalia on his heels. He sat in the seat and pressed the button labeled for the passenger doors to close them as Natalia spoke, “Do you even know how to drive a train?”_

_He turned his head to face the redhead in the end of the small hall giving her his own signature smirk. “Nope! But how hard can it be?”_

_“Neveroyatno.” Natalia muttered under her breath in Russian lightly shaking her head at him. Clint gripped the handle for the throttle and after a quick check to make sure no one was trying to board the train he pushed the handle forward. The train began moving as its throttle was increased eventually steadying out at a quick speed causing the surrounding buildings to go by in a blur as they careened through the city. Though he couldn’t see much thanks to a fog setting in alongside the snowfall he figured that they would escape the city itself shortly. It seemed that they had managed to escape._

_Clint turned to the woman still standing in the doorway of the cockpit. “It looks like we’re in the clear. As soon as we get outside of the city, I’ll get us our extraction and we can get out of the country.”_

_Natalia nodded in affirmation and relaxing against the doorframe._

_He let himself relax into the chair; this whole ordeal had become quite the mess but at least it seemed like it was finally over. Natalia had also inadvertently supported his justification for letting her live earlier by her desire to get the civilians out of harms way. He could read people pretty damn well, hell it was part of his job description, and Natalia was a good person who ended up being dealt a really shitty hand at life. It was impulsive to go against his orders but he was going to stand by his choice; the Black Widow had the potential to be an incredible force for SHIELD and it’s peace-keeping efforts and he was certain that if Fury doesn’t see at it first that Coulson surely would._

_Coulson had seen it in him after all, and if it wasn’t for Phil there was a damn good chance he turned out like Barney._

_The somewhat relaxed atmosphere was broken however by the sound of a Russian Accented voice screaming out from behind them. “Did you really think it would be that easy you red-headed suka?”_  
_Clint tore himself from the chair making his way into the passenger car along with Natalia, and there they stood face to face with the Wolf-Spider and four of his black clad soldiers. The soldiers had taken up positions behind the seats giving themselves the least bit of cover available in the train car. The Wolf-Spider stood in the middle of the aisle only a stride or two across from Clint and Natalia._

_“I’m not surprised, you always were a clingy bastard Niko.” Natalia snarled next to him her grip tight around his former handgun. Apparently, hers’ had run out and his only had nine rounds left so that didn’t help their odds when there are four men armed with AKs along with a possibly psychotic Russian in charge of the soldiers. Well this is going to be interesting._

_Niko let out an audible growl, clenching his fists tightly as he spoke in a dangerous tone, “I will never understand what the Madame always saw in you Natalia though I’m sure the Soldier merely favored your assets” Natalia’s face somehow got darker her expression becoming one of pure rage. “No matter, you’ve betrayed the motherland and the punishment for that transgression is death. However, I will ensure your end is slow and excruciating. You will suffer before I snuff out your miserable life.”_

_Clint and Natalia were both poised and ready for the impending conflict, the snow and sights outside whipping by through the windows. Niko gestured to his soldiers, “Comrades, deal with the Widow but I want her alive. Only I get the pleasure of squashing that spider. I’ll handle her little pet.” The whole situation was a massive powder keg just waiting to explode._

_And the spark just ignited._

_All hell broke loose. Natalia dove behind a bench taking cover from the incoming fire from the soldiers. Clint however was sent hurtling backwards by the blunt force of the Wolf-Spider charging straight into him. He raised to his feet and brought his fists up and at the ready. Niko was strong and though his bow could offer a fair advantage in the tight space it would be more of a hinderance._

_A fist flew at Clint’s face and he blocked it quickly with his raised arms and retaliated with his own flurry of punches at the soldier’s torso. “So, you’re the Wolf-Spider.” He bit out backing away from his opponent. “I’m Hawkeye… and I’m not impressed.” He snarled as he lunged low grabbing Niko around the waist and slamming him against the wall._

_Punch after punch was thrown, he managed to strike the Russian in the stomach and face before the larger man broke his hold. Niko grabbed his left fist twisting it at the wrist and struck him brutally across the face sending him to the floor. “You Americans and your bravado.” He brought himself down to a knee and grabbed the back of Clint’s head harshly. He pulled his head up and leaned his masked face next to his as he spoke, “You all think that you are invincible. That you can police the world. But in reality, you are all just as pitiful as the rest of the world.” He seethed as he slammed Clint’s head into the floor repeatedly._

_His vision was going in and out in flashes from the pain. He could feel blood trickling down his face as the staccato of gunfire was ringing out in the enclosed train car. Suddenly the train became eerily silent except for the sound of it gliding along the tracks. The rough gloved hand holding his hand had disappeared, so he struggled to his feet and caught sight of the source of the silence._

_Natalia was standing stock still in the center of the aisle, her handgun trained on the Wolf-Spider, the bodies of the soldiers laid strewn around her feet. Niko looked predatory as he glared at the Widow, crimson liquid dripping from his gloved fingers that Clint was certain was his. Niko had his own handgun clenched tightly in his right hand but rather than pointing at one of them it was resting at his side._

_“It’s over Niko.” The Widow stated clearly. Her aim never straying from the figure before her._

_“Is it Natalia? I always knew you were weak but giving yourself this false hope of escape.” He let out a humorless laugh. “The mighty Black Widow, nothing more than a scared little girl. The Madame would be so disappointed in you.”_

_“This is over. I’m done with the Red Room, and the Madame can go to hell.” Natalia snarled. So far this had been some of the most emotion Clint had seen on her face. Rage and Fury were painted all over her face but there was also pain shining in her eyes. She was angry about what they had made her into but also was afraid that this slim chance at escaping was going to fail._

_Clint was hunched over slightly, blood dripping lightly from his right hand and from his face. The pain from all his injuries was starting to get severe. Niko turned slightly and pointed his right arm with handgun held readily at him, still glaring at Natalia the whole time._

_Shit, this was somehow getting worse._

_“You’ve gone soft Natalia. Allow me to prove it.” Niko growled._

_“I don’t think so.” Natalia said pulling the trigger of her pistol._

_But instead of the sound of a bullet firing the only sound that rang out was a click. Her face shifted to one of horror, realizing she was out of ammo. They were now completely at the mercy of the Russian operative in between them._

_Niko chuckled in dark satisfaction, “You’ve gotten sloppy too it seems. You’re out of bullets Widow, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” Without even tearing his gaze from Natalia, Niko pulled the trigger._

_A loud bang rang out and suddenly all Clint could feel was an excruciating pain in his midsection. He dropped to his knees and pressed a hand to the wound on his abdomen that was bleeding profusely._

_“Clint!” Natalia screamed. He crawled backwards bringing his back against the wall. His breathing was getting shallow and the pain was making it even harder to breath. Niko had turned to face his hunched form. The Wolf-Spider edged closer never pulling away his aim. “You shouldn’t have tried to save her Hawkeye. She’s the Black Widow, and everyone who cares about her always dies.”_

_“You love to hear your own voice don’t you. Tell me, why do you wear that mask? Are you just another ugly son of a bitch who’s pissed he can’t get laid?” Clint bit out through gritted teeth. Niko bristled, and in fairness insulting the man who was probably going to put another bullet in him at any moment wasn’t the best idea but if he was going to die anyway why the hell not._

_“You American dogs are all the same. Arrogant and so certain that you’re right.” Niko readied the handgun again aiming directly at his unarmored chest. Directly at his heart. “But you were wrong, and the consequence is death.”_

_Niko abruptly screamed in pain his gun clattering to the ground. Natalia had pounced on him while his back was turned. She quickly wrapped her thighs around him and brought her activated widow’s bites into the side of his head. He reached upwards grasping at her thighs and struggling to tear her off of him._

_Clint could see the gun just a few feet away from him, so he pushed himself off the wall and began crawling slowly towards it. The effort it took to drag his battered body towards it was monumental and his slow progress gave him a perfect view of the struggle between Niko and Natalia. He had managed to pull her off himself, but she was still giving him hell. Punches and kicks were flying back and forth. Niko grabbed roughly at her hair and used his other fist to punch her roughly in the stomach. She fell forward onto her hands and knees while Niko turned his attention to him._

_The handgun was just out of arms reach and now the menacing figure was stalking towards him. The Wolf-Spider kicked Clint in the side roughly sending him rolling over onto his back and knocking the breath out of his lungs. “I’m done playing games with you little suki!” Niko growled as he reached for the gun on the floor._

_“So am I!”_

_Natalia rushed from behind the man and swept his legs from under him. Niko crashed to the floor harshly and the Widow pounced onto his back swiftly before he could move grasping his masked head and slamming his face into the floor. When he tried to raise it, she pulled a garrote wire from her gauntlets and wrapped around the Russian operative’s neck pulling upwards harshly. The man managed to get a hand in between the wire and his neck, and it became a tug of war between them._

_Natalia leaned down, her striking red hair fanning her face as she snarled at the enemy beneath her, “I always hated you, you bastard, and I’m going to enjoy ending your miserable life.”_

_Clint had managed to push himself upwards slightly and could see the scene playing out before him. Even with her injuries Natalia was causing Niko to struggle. The goggles of his mask had shattered over his left eye when she slammed his face into the ground and the visible brown eye was wide in genuine fear._

_The Wolf-Spider reached his other hand up to the side of his masked head and ordered his soldiers, “Fire on the train! Now!”_

_Natalia pulled even harder at the wire around the man’s neck, “Shut the hell up you bastard!”_

_Niko growled under her as he pushed against the wire with vigor. “I don’t care that I’m on it! De-rail this fucking train!”_

_Suddenly there was a massive explosion and Clint felt a huge gust of cold air and snow behind him. He locked eyes with Natalia as the realization dawned on them both. The train lurched and the sounds of screeching metal, explosions and crackling fire followed._

_And then his vision went black._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Russian Translations  
> vy umerli - you're dead  
> der'mo - shit  
> suka - bitch  
> suki - bitches  
> neveroyatno - unbelievable  
> (not certain if I used this) ublyudok - bastard  
> These translations are the sort of sounded out versions rather than the actual Russian cyrilic. Let me know which you guys like better though since its very easy for me to replace them with the cyrilic.
> 
> Sorry but not sorry for the cliffhanger. The final chapter is still being written but I already know exactly how things are going to play out. Please do let me know what you've thought of my take on Clint and Nat's first encounter with one another.  
> Also I will always welcome constructive criticism. Anything I can do to make my writing better and better the reading experience I will gladly do because ultimately this is a hobby but I also want to share my ideas with the community and anyway I can do that better I'm all ears for.
> 
> So please do let me know what you think. Until Next Time!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the beginning of this little tale!
> 
> The rest of this story is still being finalized but we'll be getting right into the proper action in the next chapter and It's going to be a fair bit longer than this one. Until then please let me know what you think.
> 
> I gladly welcome any and all constructive criticism. Writing these stories has become a hobby of mine and anyway that I can improve the reading experience is something I'd love to hear. Until Next Time!


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